Growing Up
by Monica AKA Moni
Summary: First in a series portraying the life of the GW characters, starting with their childhood. Definite AU, more inside. Enjoy


Hello! Second story I've posted on FF.net, yay me! Anyway, it's definitely an AU and the GW characters are definitely OOC, but not in that stupid way, in a good way. Agh, can't really explain it; you'll just have to see. This might have been done before, but I've had this idea for a while and have been in the writing mood, so this came out. I have a lot written, so it's just a matter of posting chapters . . . AND a matter of whether or not people actually like this. If not, I'll just start posting more of my other story, Liar, Liar, when I get more written.  
  
Enjoy!  
  
Growing Up - Book One: Chapter 1  
  
"Mama, why do we have to go, again?"  
  
Mrs. Yuy brushed her hair back so she could place a crystal earring into her small earring hole. She regarded her daughter with a playful answer. "We're going so you can get married, honey."  
  
The little girl of eight scrunched up her nose in disgust, sticking out her tongue to further show her distaste of the issue. "I don't wanna get married, mama." She snorted, crossing little arms over a little chest.  
  
"Never?" Mrs. Yuy asked in mock shock, a smile tugging at her lips.  
  
She shook her head full of dangly navy blue hair. "Never, ever. Married people are always ki-kissing. And hugging. And they always say mushy stuff to each other!" The child blinked. "Ew. It's so gross!"  
  
"Hil," Mrs. Yuy said laughingly, "you're going to have to get married one day. How else are you going to have kids of your own?" She studied herself in the large vanity mirror and unscrewed her cap of ruby red lipstick.  
  
Hilde Schbeiker made a sound akin to false gagging. "I don't want no kids. Kids are bad." She thought over her answer. "-Most- kids are bad. I'm not bad, but the people at third grade are."  
  
"Well, then you'll just have to raise them to be good kids." Mrs. Yuy - satisfied with her image - turned to face her daughter. "Come here. Let me fix your hair."  
  
Hilde shrugged off her mother's reaching hands. "I like my hair. It don't need no fixin'." She protested even after her hair was tied into two long pony-tails with shiny red clips. "And why do I gotta wear this stupid dress?" Hilde gestured to the bright red dress she wore, then bent down to scratch her white, stocking-encased legs. "And these things itch!" She pointed to the stockings.  
  
Laughing, Mrs. Yuy took her daughter's hand, both of them leaving her large room. "Hilde, you'll learn to like them in time. Let's see if Heero's ready."  
  
. .  
.  
  
Duo Maxwell frowned at his fussing mother. She had made sure he'd brushed his teeth at least five times, then made sure he'd washed at least six and had finally let him off with combing through his hair about four times. 'Jeez,' he thought. 'All of this for some new neighbors.'  
  
Last week a new family had moved into the neighborhood, and Duo's mother had felt absolutely horrible about not welcoming the bunch upon their immediate arrival. Personally, Duo wasn't one for being a welcome wagon, but the family had another little boy who looked to be around his age, making Duo take some interest in the family. 'Maybe he can play an instrument. Then he could be in my band.'  
  
"Duo!" Hollered Mrs. Maxwell. "Duo, they're here!"  
  
Duo rolled his eyes and looked himself over in the mirror. Dress pants and a dress shirt. Yuck. He frowned even deeper at his reflection but only sighed, leaving his room to trudge down the steps and meet the new family.  
  
. . .  
  
Heero Yuy tugged at his collar as he stood in front of talking mothers and laughing fathers, along with the bored glare from the two boys standing across from him in the middle of the living room. He glared right back, ignoring the nagging feeling about how rude it was.  
  
Duo narrowed his eyes at the chocolate-haired boy. 'How rude,' he thought, 'to glare at someone in their own house. I could kick this kid out if I wanted to.' He looked over at his brother, noticing the older boy had stopped picking apart the chocolate-haired kid, and was now staring at the taller girl next to him. Duo snickered; Mill had a crush on the other kid's sister.  
  
Hilde wrapped one of her braids around her finger in childish boredom. Her brother and that other kid didn't seem to like each other, and her older sister and the other kid's older brother seemed to like each other too much. She herself, however, was stuck looking back and forth between the four, feeling completely out of place and also very bored.  
  
"Well!" exclaimed Mrs. Maxwell to the Yuys. "Me and my husband are so glad you've moved into this neighborhood! And you're both so nice." She placed an arm around her eldest son. "You know, my kids haven't had any fun this summer, and since it's just beginning, your kids are welcome to come on over any day they want to."  
  
The husbands glanced at one another.  
  
"Rita," Began Mr. Maxwell at the same time Mr. Yuy interjected with "Nora . . ."  
  
"Wonderful!" Nora Yuy replied with gusto. "That sounds marvelous! I'm sure my kids'll love your kids." She took Hilde's small hand. "But is it alright if little Hil here tags along? She's only eight."  
  
Hilde turned crimson as the Maxwell kids stared at her, as if seeing her for the first time. She looked at the ground nervously.  
  
"Oh, that's fine!" Rita Maxwell assured. "I'm sure Duo and Millie will -love- her company, won't you guys?" She gave them a level glare, as if to dare them to object.  
  
Duo rolled his eyes. The 'Hil' girl was nothing short of a runt, and she looked annoying. He really didn't want to baby-sit this summer. His mother's eyes bore into his head. "Sure. Hil can stay." He muttered as 'Millie' grumbled, "Yeah, whatever."  
  
Nora Yuy smiled widely and slipped her other arm through her husband's. "It's settled, then."  
  
"Yes," Rita Maxwell agreed. "It's settled."  
  
~*~*~  
  
Hilde lay sprawled out on her sister's floor as she listened to the older girl talk on and on about how cute the Maxwell boy was. Frankly, it was annoying, and Heero, tuning his guitar next to her, seemed to think so as well because every five minutes he would stop, sigh loudly and glare at his older sister.  
  
"And did you see the way he looked at me?" Noin, the oldest sister, asked enthusiastically. "He was totally staring me down, but in a good way." She tucked her midnight blue hair behind her ear and brought her knees to her chest. "He is -so- cute, but I wonder what his name is?"  
  
"Maybe he was staring at you so much 'cause he thought you was ugly." Hilde suggested sweetly, sitting up and facing her dreamy-eyed sister. "I know I do."  
  
Noin rolled her black-blue eyes. "You're just a baby. You're not even nine yet. Not even eight-and-a-half, yet. What would you know about looks? You don't even care about your own."  
  
"So," Hilde retorted. "Mama says I'm adorable."  
  
"Mama says a lot of things to you since you're the youngest." Noin replied, sticking her tongue out at the younger girl. "But does she say you're lovely? Nope. Now me, however, I'm lovely. I'm also gorgeous, beautiful and, when I want to be, cute." She rolled her eyes at the twin expressions of confusion on her younger sibling's faces. "When you guys turn fourteen, you'll understand the nature of adults as well as I do. For now," she threw a pillow to each kid, "go to bed."  
  
Heero put his guitar down and took the pillow, not budging from his spot on the floor.  
  
Hilde did the same.  
  
Noin looked at them both, puzzled. Then, her expression softened somewhat and she grinned. "You guys still have those stupid nightmares?"  
  
The two kids nodded slowly.  
  
She looked at her bed, then back at the floor, then at the bed again. "C'mon up. You guys are small and there's enough room." She patted the extra space in her bed.  
  
Hilde didn't have to be asked twice and she hopped right up.  
  
Heero hesitated for a moment, then crawled into the bed next to Hilde, curled up and went to sleep.  
  
Beside Noin, Hilde shifted. "Hey, Noni?" she asked softly as the light was turned out.  
  
Noin yawned and smiled at the nickname. "What?"  
  
"Am I cute?"  
  
Noin blinked. "You're my sister, aren't you?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Then why ask?"  
  
~~~~~ Next Day ~~~~~  
  
"Hold still, Hilde!" Noin held the wriggling girl down while Heero tried, and failed, to put a white ribbon on the long, dangling pony tail of the eight-year-old.  
  
"You already got me wearin' this stupid dress!" Hilde howled. "I ain't gonna wear no stupid ribbon, too!" She squirmed out of Noin's grasp and bolted for the door, as all three children were inside Noin's room. She almost got it open when Heero pinned her down and Noin wrapped the ribbon around her hair, laughing triumphantly.  
  
"All of this for a ribbon." Heero said sourly, pushing himself up to a standing position. "Girls are so annoying."  
  
Noin glared at him. "Only a ten-year-old would say such a stupid remark. Girls aren't annoying-"  
  
"Boys are!" Hilde broke in, yanking her ribbon from her hair and slipping out of the room in a flash.  
  
Rolling her eyes, Noin didn't even bother to chase the little imp. "The ribbon didn't look that cute anyway. Let's go. The Maxwells are expecting us and Mom and Dad have already left for work."  
  
Heero glanced at his guitar propped up in the corner of Noin's room. "You think I should take it?"  
  
"Huh? Your string thingy?"  
  
He glared at her. "It's a guitar, Noin."  
  
"Whatever. I don't care if you take it or not. Maybe you can play for them better than you play for us, 'cause you really suck at that thing. Let's go." She smirked at his outright angry glare and with a wink was out of her room and skipping down the steps.  
  
Heero slipped the guitar brace around his shoulder and hurried after his sisters.  
  
Once downstairs and outside, the three siblings headed across the street to the Maxwell house.  
  
. . .  
  
"Doorbell!"  
  
"I got it!" Duo raced down the steps two at a time and flung open his front door. The first thing he saw was a guitar and the chocolate-haired boy. "Awesome!" He hooted. "You can play."  
  
Noin frowned. "Ahem," she said loudly.  
  
Duo looked up at the girl and grinned. "I saw you, don't worry. Everyone's in the basement right now. My -brother- is too." He winked at the older girl as she sent him a bright smile. "The name's Duo Maxwell, and welcome to the party."  
  
Noin and Heero both stepped inside as Duo attempted to close his front door.  
  
"Hey!" Tiny Hilde shrieked, offended. "I'm here, too!"  
  
Duo jumped about two feet in the air as the squeaky voice flitted through his eardrum. He looked down at the child. "Hey, kid. What'dya want?"  
  
Hilde glared up at him. "I -want- to come in, you terd." She bit out, her small hands upon her small hips.  
  
He rolled his eyes as Heero and Noin found their way to the basement. "You gotta be, what, five? Six?"  
  
"I'm eight." She growled.  
  
"And you wanna come in -my- house?" Duo smirked. "Sorry, kid. Ten and up only." He then pushed her little body back from the door and promptly closed it in her face, whistling all the way down to the basement.  
  
Hilde stood still for about three seconds before her eyes started to get wet. "That was so mean." She mused, wet droplets dripping down her face. "He's a jerk! I hate him." She sniffled and wiped her arm under her nose, turning to go back home. Her mama had told her that hate was a really bad word, but right now, Hilde didn't care. "I hate you, Duo Maxwell!" She shrieked as loud as she could.  
  
And right at that moment, the front door opened.  
  
Quatre Winner winced as he heard the words. 'Poor little girl,' he thought sadly. 'Duo can be really mean when he wants to be.' The thought made him remember how long it took his blonde self to become friends with the other boy. 'He called me 'Sissy boy' for the longest time . . .' "Excuse me!" He called to the small child in the middle of the street.  
  
Hilde whirled around and stopped crying. A blonde boy stood at the top of the Maxwell front steps, smiling at her gently. She narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you want?" She snapped.  
  
Quatre raised his eyebrows. "I wanted to tell you that you can come inside. Duo was just being mean since you're obviously pretty young. He's just glad he can pick on someone younger than him, because in our group, he's the youngest. Heero is older than him, too, birthday-wise."  
  
Reluctantly, Hilde began to walk slowly back to the house she had just been kicked out of. "Fine," she stated when she reached the blonde guy. "But I hope he doesn't speak to me, or expect me to speak to him." With an air of superiority she stuck her perky nose in the air and pushed past the blonde boy, intent on going downstairs to the basement. If anyone would yell at Duo for being so mean to her, it would be Noin.  
  
But as soon as Hilde got down to the basement floor, her anger was forgotten and replaced by childish amazement. In the middle of the room stood a large pool table, the adult size, and the room itself was burgundy- walled, covered in thousands of pictures of Duo and 'Millie.' In the back of the basement was a large brown couch, and settled comfortably together upon it were none other than 'Millie' and Noin. 


End file.
